Barbie

On behalf of my fellow and sister recording artists, Gumby, Barbie and Bruce Springsteen, I would like to thank 2 1/2-year-old Laureen (and The Times) for the most wonderful notice any artist could ever hope to receive. Rock 'n' roll is still for us kids! Rockin Love, JOSIE COTTON Los Angeles

Dear Amy: My mother and "Barbie" started working in a nursing home more than 25 years ago and are good friends. Mom retired in 2008, and Barbie still works there part time. Mom suffered a stroke last spring and wanted us to put her in the home where she worked. At first, Barbie was so helpful. She truly was a godsend. But things have changed. Barbie visits my mom at the nursing home every single day, and I know Mom likes to see her. My brother and I try to visit Mom at least once a week, but our jobs and family commitments make it impossible for us to see her as often as we would like.

With obesity at epidemic levels nationwide and young girls and women doing damage to their bodies in the quest for the perfect body size, you run an article about a plus-size doll that will hopefully give Barbie a run for the market ("Plus-Size Doll Casts Shadow Over Barbie," March 5). But in describing size 12 as a plus size, you reinforce the idea that unless you are a size 10 or smaller, you are fat. For many woman who are size 16 and above, a size 12 seems a lot more obtainable than a 6 or 8. Thanks for the reminder that even at a healthy size 12, we would still be considered plus size.

I have just one question to ask. When did we decide that raising snobs was the best way to guarantee a successful future for our young generation? I'm talking about the millions who buy their little girls Barbie dolls. ("Forever Young: After 30 years, Barbie has more clothes, friends and fans than ever," Jan. 29) There are certain things that greatly influence our children, and the toys they choose to play with, or we choose to buy for them, are right up there with the kind of television programs we permit them to watch.

Three cheers for Cathy Meredig's Happy to Be Me doll ("Throwing Barbie a Curve," Aug. 20). The Mattel people need some more prodding. Toy makers need to know how much power they have to create or destroy our children's self-esteem. I did read somewhere that a black and brown Barbie have recently been created. I'm very excited to know that the "powers that be" are waking up to the real world. The reason the Barbie scene is so powerful an influence is because it is directly wired into the adult world, and realistic images are rare there also.

Mattel, the people who brought you Barbie and Ken, are introducing an expectant family of dolls--complete with a father, a now-she's-pregnant, now-she's-not mother, a newborn infant and lots of accessories. But lest inquiring minds want to know, it's not Barbie who's pregnant. "They are completely separate lines," Mattel spokeswoman Kathy Thorpe said. "We don't want anybody to think Barbie is expecting, because she's not married."

Mattel Inc.: The Hawthorne-based toy maker said first-quarter net income rose to $4.3 million from $254,000 a year ago. Sales advanced 4% to $195.3 million. The firm said operating profit of the 1989 quarter was $18.1 million, up 42%, reflecting expense control and other steps taken over the past two years. Mattel said its major toys--Barbie, Hot Wheels, the Disney preschool/infant line and large dolls--have sold well in 1989. Tables, Page 12

"In Software, It's Still a Boy's World" [June 28] makes some troubling assumptions about the needs and interests of young girls. From the article: "Mattel says it has tried to capitalize on girls' innate interest in playing with dolls." This overlooks the fact that boys also play with dolls called action figures. Are girls born averse to the competitive aspect of most video games, or are they discouraged from competing in activities such as sports from a very early age? The article suggests that girls like Mattel's best-selling "Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer" in part because it is relevant to the toys they already play with.

Responding to pressure from Greenpeace this week, toy maker Mattel Inc. said it would direct its suppliers to stop buying wood products from Asia Pulp & Paper, a Singapore company that has clear-cut vast swaths of Indonesia's rain forest. As the environmental group's global campaign against Mattel gained traction, the El Segundo company said on its Facebook page: "Mattel does not support deforestation nor does it contract directly with Sinar Mas/APP. We purchase packaging materials from a variety of suppliers and it is not the normal course of business to dictate where suppliers source materials.

In response to Scott Harris' column, "Barbie to Mike: Walk It Like You Talk It," Aug. 12: The talent pool in The Times must be running dry when you continue to utilize the machinations of a fantasy-dominated reporter who denies he is any more than a mere "friend" of Barbie, a toy doll who apparently is his chief political adviser. Harris is correct when he says my payroll is larger than that of other county supervisors. But Barbie and Scott apparently don't comprehend the fact that the five districts are not equal in size.